RUSH: I left something out of the pattern that I have learned watching and studying Obama. We will know when the heat gets too much to take, we will know when their internal polling on this is disastrous, because at that point he will throw Henry Louis Gates overboard, just as he threw his grandmother overboard, just as he threw Reverend Wright overboard, just as he did a Judas on Bill Ayers. "I don't know the guy. He lives in the neighborhood." Whenever the heat gets so hot, he'll throw these clowns overboard. He'll call Gates, "Look, I gotta throw you overboard, buddy, you know, I'll make it up to you somehow, but I gotta throw you overboard." And Gates will go out and say, "I understand the president has to be a politician." Just like Reverend Wright said, "Well, look, he had to throw me overboard, he's a politician, he can't be who he really is." That's exactly right, except he is being who he is, except you just need somebody to translate it for you. So look for sometime next week Henry Louis Gates, distinguished professor, African-American studies at Harvard, to be thrown overboard by the White House, by Obama.

Althouse, you harmless, lovable little fuzz ball, you highly-trained blog specialist, you're having more fun than a human being should be allowed to have, from your lonely little outpost up there in Madison, Wisconsin, firmly ensconced in that prestigious Crazy Cat Lady Box Of Wine Drinking chair at the Limbaugh Institute of Advanced And You, A Law Professor Studies.

I guess you weren't planning to attend too many Madison dinner parties this fall, can't imagine a Rush Limbaugh endorsement will help fill your social calendar out there.

(but, he's right, you made a great point)

To expand on something I tweeted, Obama was sold to white Democratic primary voters as a mixture of Gandhi+Mandela+Adlai Stevenson, and that support of The One would be proof that we are a United States in the United Colors of Benetton mode. No small part of his advantage over Hillary was the racial reconciliation angle, and how he was able to campaign as a moderate and not have to worry about Edwards on his left flank.

So, he sold voters on the notion that his thin record in the Senate, and his history of being involved with the most agitated of leftist race-baiting agitators was not how he would govern when elected. Enough voters swallowed this lie to get him past Hillary in the primaries and then past McCain in the general election.

But now, we see that the Alinsky admiring agitator who honed his political outlook amongst the race hustlers of Chicago reflexively adheres to that divisive vision of what AmeriKKKa looks like.

When Sweet threw him that softball, he swung at the pitch instictively from the 'cops are racist' angle.

Between his mumbling and fumbling through rather easy questions regarding his mess of ObamaCare, to his obvious bit of uninformed Chicago ACORN style race baiting to the Gates question, there's got to be more than a few voters feeling remorseful in helping bring this goofball to power.

Should be a fun midterm election as GOP candidates run against an unpopular incumbent and DEM candidates run away from their association with the rest of Congress and the President.

That press conference is the beginning of the end for Pres. Obama, when he fails to get re-elected in 2012, he'll have this ill conceived little prime time press conference to look back on as the moment that a majority of voters realized exactly who they put in office, and why they won't want him around beyond his first term.

It's a banner day! Closest Annie, who went through months of that lame charade about "cruel neutrality," has finally shown her true colors. She aspires to be the female Rush. Thanks for making it so clear.

Now, just keep eating those cheeseburgers and keep getting your economic insights from unschooled Larry and you are sure to become the female Rush very soon!!

I would be interested in knowing how the attention by Lindaugh will increase the hits to this site.

One year ago I attended a dinner party while visiting close friends on the California coast. In attendance were two trial lawyers, a judge and several entrepreneurs. The discussion of blogs moved from hard legal blogs to an independent woman who was a tenured professor at UW. The name was Althouse. I think that the regulars on this site would be surprised at the names of the people who "visit" and read the comments.

Now, about poking fun at the NYT's? May I suggest that you hold off on that for just a bit. They have a great social section, and all of us would love to see your wedding to Meade covered prominently. Ironically, it may be the only way we get some details, not to mention some professional pictures.

Penny - Meade&Anne's wedding may be considered a "newsworthy" event....I'd give them a good shot at a NYTimes piece just on backstory - plus getting blurbs on other media, like 'ol Rushbo.

Then again, they may want it small and private, kids, ex's, old friends..

=================One of these days, Althouse has to use another arrow in her quiver and have a local art show of the 30-40 pictures she feels are her best work. Listen to critics, then do a LA or NYC one. Maybe NYC, given her time there and NYT connection. (May have to hurry, the NYT may not be around forever..) It's not like Ann Althouse fears criticism too much to do it..

Cedarford, I am glad you brought up Althouse's photographic talent. Especially since I said that the NYT's would give us professional pictures. What I meant was, professional pictures of the two of them together.

I love the idea of a one woman show of Althouse photographs, and I hope she explores that possibility.

As for her wanting a private wedding? Hm?

I am thinking she just might prefer the appearance of a private wedding, with just the kids and close family and friends...and the NYT's. But then again, what do I know?

Jeremy can't mention Rush without adding the adjective "fat"; bereft of ideas, like a child he must resort to personal insults. Anyone see Rush on Greta last night or tonight? He's actually looking surprisingly svelte.

Maybe Rush et. al. (i.e. the Palin pushers) will choose Althouse as their new savior.

But, how will she overcome her heresy regarding the social issues? Well, at least she'd only be a flip flopper. This--as every serious Christian knows--is much better than a flip flopper Mormon (or Freemason; thankfully Ms. Althouse was never welcome in that un-Christian group.)

"They (LA TImes) quote these people all over the place. "Zachary Paul Sire, a freelance writer from Huntington Beach, dubbed the condition 'Election Obsessive Compulsive Disorder' on his blog. The 31-year-old Obama supporter estimated he has spent at least 10 hours a day monitoring blogs, television and polls since the party conventions this summer. 'I genuinely feel nervous,' Sire said. 'I'm not being able to sleep, not eating as much or eating at strange hours of the day, being irritable toward the people I live with.'

It is possible I am not the first to have done so, but -- during the Sotomayor confirmation hearings it was I, not a lovable fuzzball, not a lawyer, and certainly not an Obama fan, who suggested that Professor Ann Althouse be nominated to SCOTUS.

If that were like making nominations for a Nobel Prize, it might even mean a teensy something.

Althouse has been trying hard to get mentioned by Rush for ages now, just as she tries to get links from Drudge. Insta-lanches are not enough for the ambitious blogger.

But the law professor remains unconcerned that Gates was handcuffed and arrested despite not having committed a single crime. All B.S. charges were quickly dropped. Whatever a dick and an asshole Gates was, he COMMITTED NO CRIME. YET HE WAS HANDCUFFED AND ARRESTED AT HIS OWN HOME.

Rush Limbaugh, of course, IS a criminal, who had people buying OxyContin for him in violation of the law. Why isn't Rush in jail? There are plenty of people in jail in the USA for doing nothing more than being found in possession of drug paraphenelia after having bought crack pipes that are legally and openly sold in gas stations in the inner cities.

While Althouse takes her victory lap for getting a mention on Rush's show, after years of kissing up to Rush, it doesn't go unnoticed that she doesn't seem to mind that Gates was arrested despite having not committed a single crime.

I'm truly very sorry Ann. What did Ben Franklin say? "It's like calling an ox a bull...thankful for the compliment but much rather back have what is naturally his".

Rush is a two-bit felon type...a liar and perveracator..which you note he does shortly after citing you....the keyed microphone part...don't you think that would be out if it were true or even just existed at all?

Using your blog and your name lends credibility to an otherwise incredible person. don't anyone waste time baskind in the reflection here as the water that tosses up the image is full of shit.

Since you want to drag it here too: Gates was screaming at the top of his lungs on his front porch. You go do that until the neighbors complain and call the police. When the police get there, refuse to stop yelling, see how quickly you wind up in the back of a car for disorderly conduct or disturbing the peace.

Your right to yell and scream on your own property ends at the point you begin making a public nuisance of himself, which even the neighbors say he was doing.

As a column I linked on the other thread pointed out, if the investigating officer had been black Gates would have never raised a stink. He would have handed over his ID and the officer would have been on his way. Gates was the racist one who got bent out of shape because the guy was white.

He got the same treatment any other jackass who decides to make a public spectacle of themselves would get if they refused to chill out when a police officer asks them to: a trip to the hoosegow. A trip that he specifically requested.

He got the 15 minutes of fame that he wanted, what you are complaining about?

Why is Althouse exploding in popularity? Because she represents middle America values, the swing voter. Everyone wants her vote, you have to earn it. Also she doesn't suffer fools(except Titus and Jeremy).

" Why is it okay in your minds, not only to treat a person that badly, but to insist that its a RIGHT to treat a person that badly?"

It comes from a fundamental ignorance of the law and the limits of First Amendment rights.

Gates had the right to say what he wanted to say...but he didn't have the right to make a public nuisance of himself by saying it at the top of his lungs in front of the entire neighborhood.

There seems to be a perception that he had an inviable right to do whatever he pleased so long as he was on his own property which is completely and utterly wrong.

Much like noise ordinances all over the country, there are limits to what you can and can't do...and how loudly you're allowed to do them.

As the saying goes "Your right to throw a punch ends at the tip of my nose."

As soon as Gates began making a general jackass out of himself in full view of the rest of the neighborhood, he was "disturbing the peace" and could have lawfully been taken into custody immediately.

That he was also attempting to incite the crowd against the officer made it "disorderly conduct," and he could have lawfully been taken into custody immediately.

The officer did him the courtesy of requesting that he stop several times. Gates refused each time. He had his chance to avoid getting arrested, but he was absolutely insistent that he be arrested. So the officer obliged him.

It really couldn't be any more cut and dried of a case. It was in front of multiple witnesses - both civilian and uniformed, from 2 different police departments.

That Obama was forced to walk back his previous attack on the Cambridge police is the most telling of all the evidence. The entire incident was on tape, and the Cambridge PD threatened to release those tapes in order to defend the actions of their officer.

I guarantee that Obama was told exactly what was on those tapes and told, in no uncertain terms, that if he didn't make amends that they would release those tapes showing just how far out of line Gates really was.

Obama wouldn't have publicly made a personal phone call to a racist jerk to issue a non-apology apology. That he did so tells you that he knows Crowley is no such animal.

[Notice that his phone call to Gates was not nearly so public. I imagine that Obama explained to him that he had been told what was on the tapes and that he could no longer stand unconditionally behind him as he had Wednesday night.]

The rest of the whining from the liberals here has nothing to do with principle or a sincere belief that Gates did nothing wrong. At this point, only a fool would believe that to be the case and I give our fellow commenters more faith than that. No. This is about trying to defend Obama's original "stupid" remark and being unwilling to admit that Obama could have so badly botched the situation.

The whole problem with Ann's self-congratulatory post is that Rush is simply wrong. Ann Althouse didn't make a great point.

If Ann were more interested in the facts than in pandering to her right-wing base, she would have discovered that the Sgt. Crowley was satisfied that Prof. Gates was the legitimate resident of the house. Ann's query about whether Gates' Harvard ID had his address on it is completely irrelevant as Sgt Crowley admitted in his police report that he had established Gates' identity and residence to Crowley's own satisfaction.

It was Sgt. Crowley who apparently refused to identify himself (in violation of Mass. law) to Prof. Gates.

Jim: It comes from a fundamental ignorance of the law and the limits of First Amendment rights.

Jim, you may enjoy inventing your own laws of a fantasy version of Massachusetts and then praising the cop for following the laws you made up, but if you're gonna call others ignorant of the actual law in Massachussets you should refer to what the law in that state actually is.

Here's a link to help you out, from a blogger at Volokh Conspiracy. Note that the courts have stated that arresting people behaving as Gates did is a violation of free speech rights.

After you're done reading that link, explain why it's not you who was speaking in ignorance. Seems pretty clear (to me, anyway) that the cops abused their power and Gates did not violate the law. The cops acted stupidly, as someone pointed out.

A commenter at Volokh also makes an interesting argument that the cop may actually have intentionally lured Gates outside for the purpose of creating a situation where he could arrest Gates for "disorderly conduct". But even with that, Gates still was not in violation of the law.

The rest of the whining from the liberals here has nothing to do with principle

Though I'm not a "liberal", I guess I'm lumped in with this. I'm critical of all parties involved in this episode, though the cop abusing his power is most offensive to me and my principles. It's not a big deal to me whether Obama was wise or unwise to have commented on the matter when asked about it. I guess I'm supposed to consider it some sort of major presidential scandal because GOP shills like Limbaugh have whipped you into a frenzy over it?

You are hellbent on defending all of Officer Crowley's actions, I guess because you're an authoritarian right winger and because you're a partisan Republican looking to score points against Obama. I'll stick with my principles that make me condemn cops abusing their powers, thanks.

There's scinfinity, acting like everything the cop claims is automatically what actually happened. Since we know the cop arrested a man at his own home when the man did not violate any law, I will not just automatically believe everything the rogue cop says.

The entire incident was on tape, and the Cambridge PD threatened to release those tapes in order to defend the actions of their officer.

I guarantee that Obama was told exactly what was on those tapes and told, in no uncertain terms, that if he didn't make amends that they would release those tapes showing just how far out of line Gates really was.

The fact that they have not released the tapes might also mean the tapes would reveal some bad things about the cop.

Whatever is on the tapes, we already know Gates committed no crime and is allowed to be an asshole to intruding strangers in his own home who refused to stop fucking with him even after they determined there was no burglary.

IT may be helpful to hear the tapes, however, to determine what crimes or other abuses of power the police may have committed.

Loafing Oaf...All of your last comment is so yesterday's issues. The news today is that Black Racissim has lost its power to intimidate good people.Gates' usual suspects are all squeeky clean and are not going to take the abuse from Gates' usual race hustle anymore. That leaves the election of Obama as a very good thing for its hastening the end of our routine submission to illegitimate authority to atone for national embarrassment over the past treatment of Dr King's people. But it also signals the end of Obama's illegitimate authority awarded to him for the fact that he, like Gates, is an educated half black man. Get with it Oaf. Times a wasting to come up with a relevant new accusation.

If the problem was disorderly conduct (yelling at the police), couldn't that have been solved simply by the police leaving?

When there is no underlying crime the police should not be involved.

It's kind of like all the people who've gotten thrown in jail only because of an investigation into a crime that never happened. Without the investigation there would have been no crime.

My bias is toward less police intrusion into our lives. I have no doubt that the police followed the law and procedure in this case. I just think the law needs to be looked at. It seems designed more to promote respect for the police than to protect the public.

Perhaps the more troubling aspect of this episode is how the 'political class' views average folks. Gates and Obama, when confronted with an issue involving the non- political class, get condescending with those who are not wealthy, nor tied into the Beltway/New York Axis of Influence but merely the middle class doing their jobs.

For Gates he is going to call the chief of Police to browbeat an officer checking out a break in report, for Obama, the Police acted stupidly even though he didn't know the details. Because he thinks so, it is so, that is why he is The One. That is why he didn't apologize.

Their true colors come out, they don't trust us, the people. This microscopic scene fits into the larger rush to pass bills with no knowledge of what is being done. The lust for power is what lies below the thin liberal veneer.

We, the hoi polloi, are not to be bothered by the details of what is going to happen to our jobs and our healthcare. The political class knows best.

Obama never had a true job before the election and now that he does, where his words and actions drive results, it shows.

Limbaugh quoted you as making a good point. Which makes you a fool if you think it's a compliment. You can bet your mortgage on which way Limbaugh will fall if an issue of a black guy getting arrested by a white guy arises. Every single time.

Garage...Yes, I can easily see Rush Limbaugh siding with Clarence Thomas over an attempted High Tech Lynching by Massachusetts Senators. The racial division everywhere all the time meme is Gone with The Wind and will never have its former power again. What will CNN, and NBC, and you do for relevant conversations now?

"Can you imagine a scenario where Limbaugh sides with a black guy arrested by a white cop if there was an issue concerning that arrest? Ain't happening. Don't kid yourself."

Limbaugh makes hay with controversy. Without controversy there is nothing to talk about.

There is no controversy when someone (as Limbaugh certainly would) sides with a black or minority person who was victimized. It would be as if, instead of defending Letterman, all the "liberals" simply denounced him as out of line... *no* conflict and therefore the whole event is just a blip that passes almost unnoticed.

You've done a terrific job with this story, Ann. You're better than the NYT and all the other news sources combined!

I hope you'll stay on the story.

Can you explain what H. Gates was doing in China, and how that might contribute to our understanding of how he reacted at his house?

It seems to me that the left wants to be angry about America, and find bad things about it, so that our country can be communist like China.

The right wants to point out that China isn't that great, it's about as great as Myanmar or North Korea, in fact, and we want to keep the likes of Patrick Henry and Lincoln as our heroes rather than Mao and his idolater, Simone de B.

Obama and Gates and Wright and Ayers would strongly prefer Mao to George Washington.

At any rate, I think the China angle might add something to the whole context of what took place. does anybody know what Gates was doing there, or what he said there?

This is comic gold - hdhouse tried, once again, to write in English. He got real close on some words, but on others, such as "perveracator" he just punted.

His logic, as always, is all his own. The two dot ellipsis is awesome. It's hard to tell if he is stuttering or too weak to press the key a third time. But wait, here he uses four dots. Man oh man - conservation of periods. What a fucking genius this guy is.

Then, after the windup, there is the pitch. His last sentence, no doubt written as the drugs were kicking in reads as follows "don't anyone waste time baskind in the reflection here as the water that tosses up the image is full of shit."

From the lack of a beginning capital letter to the "baskind" (whatever the fuck that is supposed to be), to a metaphor too murky to be fathomed, he once again proves that he is as brilliant as Jeremy and Titus combined. Ok, he writes better than Titus, but most 3rd graders do.

There's scinfinity, acting like everything the cop claims is automatically what actually happened.

That NOBODY is backing up Gates' story speaks quite loudly. For us to believe Gates' assertion, we have to ignore that his front door was damaged, recent break-ins had occurred, that nobody called to report a robbery, that Gates wasn't yelling so loudly hat Crowley was leaving the house to talk to other officers...we have to, instead, believe that Crowley was hanging out there, for no reason, to arrest a "respected" (by whom, I must ask) professor.

Since we know the cop arrested a man at his own home when the man did not violate any law

He was guilty of disorderly conduct. Them dropping charges doesn't mean he didn't do it any more than a cop deciding to not write you a ticket for speeding doesn't mean that you weren't actually speeding.

I will not just automatically believe everything the rogue cop says.

Yes, he's a "rogue cop" for not kissing the butt of a race hustler and leader of a sham charity.

I love that our brilliant President, in his disastrous press conference, decided to attack doctors and police officers. That man has some RAZOR-SHARP political instincts.

And, as this link shows, there's really no way to even argue Gates was guilty of that charge under massachussets law.

Your link shows exactly the opposite of what you claim that it shows. Look right in the statute, it says

"disturbers of the peace,"

A guy screaming at the top of his lungs is pretty much the definition of a "disturber of the peace."

I know you think yourself extraordinarily clever calling people here "authoritarian statists" because they can read a statute and you evidently can't, but you only show that you don't understand what that phrase means either.

I had a speeding ticket dismissed once. I guess that means I really wasn't over the speed limit.

...which would be news to me.

So why was the man handcuffed and arrested?

Well, according to the cops on the scene, for disorderly conduct.

Unless you wish to argue all of them are lying while the professor is a paragon of truth here.

He was outside yelling. Hate to break it to you, Loaf, but that pretty much IS disturbing the peace. If I was a neighbor hearing it, I'd have called the cops to have his useless butt arrested.

Your right to yell and scream end when it impacts MY right to not hear your nonsense.

I direct that question to the rest of America, not to the authoritarian fascists of the Althouse comment section.

Yes, the fascists who had a cop insulted by the President, Governor, and Mayor. He's such a bad guy. Gates is so oppressed. Really.

Funny, you see the cop as a Fascist and I see the professor as a grade-A moron in a joke of an academic "discipline" who is so pissed off at whitey that he acts like a racist to a white cop who makes the mistake of protecting his home. I just hope he gets his house broken into while he's staying there, calls the cops for help, and they just laugh at him.

It's time to write off the "dialogue on race". It's never happening. I see no point in discussing race when the discussion starts with "Well, we know you're a racist, so..."